Sunday, 1 June 2014

What have you learnt from your 20's

One of those questions you ask yourself is when do you
become an adult? Currently in my 20’s now I think about how grateful I am for the
experiences I have had. When I’m out of my 20’s I wonder what advice I wish I had
and if there were anything I would do differently. Ivy and I were honoured to
interview 15 beautiful women who have already experienced their 20’s and have given
some valuable advice about some of the most significant things they have learnt
in their 20’s.

As we
interview a variety of amazing women, a common thread is that in
your 20’s it’s the land of choice and opportunities, “My 20's taught me the world is one big
fun, mysterious, exciting playground". It's a time where you make big changes. “In my 20's I let my curiosity guide me,
which lead me to explore new jobs, trends, friends etc”. Society thinks people in their 20’s are
selfish, but it is a time to be selfish, to travel, to explore, to see the world
and to go for your dreams, because as the years go by your priorities will
change. A realistic way of putting this is “Unless you stay single and/or mortgage
free for ever it’s the only time you get in your entire life to do this”.

Your 20’s
are an important time for personal growth, getting to know yourself but also
having compassion for others. A beautiful way of putting this is “it's important
to be yourself and look after yourself in order to be the best
friend/daughter/mother/sister etc”. It’s a stage when we may be consumed by what
other people think, be scared to go against the norm, and only follow society's trends. It is important to “get the confidence to march to your own tune”. In society, with women
there is always the stigma that there is competition and jealousy. Another
common theme is to support other people’s dreams and embrace positive people. “Don’t
be jealous of those who are fabulous, just be happy for them and realise it's
something you can aspire to". This relates so much to the saying ‘Girls
compete with each other, Women EMPOWER one another'. Also, it’s important to have
compassion for other people and be empathetic to their life story. “Listen and
learn that everyone has a story to tell, it might not be relevant, but it's
important to someone”.

In your
20’s don’t be scared to dream big and go after what you want. “Life can be as big as you want it to
be”.You’re also the only one that can go
for your dreams and no else will do it for you. At the same time have
fun and learn not to take yourself too seriously. Over time you may gain and
lose friends or relationships but it’s important for yourself to let go of
issues and move forward in your life. This is something, which is much easier
said then done. I’m sure I will look back and realise some things in life are
worth letting go.

A valuable
piece of advice, which was said many times, was to embrace every experience
both good and bad. “I started to learn what makes me tick and drives me in life
my 20's”. Every experience shapes you into the person you are meant to be. Every
woman takes different paths in their 20s whether it is starting a family,
going for their career or setting up their dream business. A beautiful shared
comment which was made by a majority of women was they never regretted any path
they took in their 20’s. This is something I look forward to saying in the
future.

We
would like to give a massive THANK YOU to all the beautiful women who took the
time to give us all your incredible advice and comments. Everything you gave us
so was valuable.